Filming nature
A nature documentary is a film about real living things and their habitat (the place where they live). It is true to life: we do not make animals do things.
- Wide shot: the camera is far. It shows the whole place and how big or small the animal is in it.
- Medium shot: shows the animal and a bit of its surroundings.
- Close-up: shows a small part, like an eye or a paw, and gives feeling.
- Patience: wild animals do not follow a plan. Film-makers wait hours or days, stay quiet and keep a safe distance.
- Care: never disturb or hurt animals. Use a zoom lens, not a closer step.
Narration
Narration is the voice that explains what we see. Good narration:
- uses short, simple sentences;
- says what the picture cannot show (facts, names, why), and does not repeat what we can already see;
- has a warm, calm voice and leaves quiet gaps so the sounds of nature can be heard;
- is written after you have watched the edited pictures, so words and pictures match.
Example: instead of "The deer eats grass", say "Each morning the deer grazes here, where the grass is softest."
Editing
Editing means choosing the best clips and joining them in an order that tells a story.
- Watch all clips and mark the best ones.
- Order them. A good pattern is wide (where are we), close-up (feel it), wide (leave).
- Trim. Cut each clip to the useful part. Keep shots about 4 to 8 seconds.
- Add narration and sound. Keep natural sounds (wind, birds) low and under the voice.
- Check. Does the story make sense with the sound off?
Try it
Sit quietly for 10 minutes near a tree or a pond. Film three clips with your phone: one wide, one close-up, one wide. Write two short sentences of narration. Put the clips in order and read the narration over them.
Key formulas and definitions
- Habitat = the place where a living thing lives
- Wide shot = place; close-up = feeling
- Narration = short, simple words that add what pictures cannot
- Edit = choose, order, trim, add sound, check
- Good shot length is about 4 to 8 seconds
Worked examples
1. Which shot would you use to show how huge a forest is?
A wide shot. It shows the whole forest and makes any animal look small.
2. Improve the narration "You can see a bird flying."
"At dawn, the kingfisher dives for fish." It adds time, name and action, instead of repeating the picture.
3. You have clips: close-up of eye, wide of meadow, close-up of hoof. Give a good order and say why.
Wide of meadow, close-up of eye, close-up of hoof. First show the place, then the feeling and detail.
4. A 60-second film has 10 equal shots. How long is each?
60 ÷ 10 = 6 seconds each, which is a good length.
Common mistakes
- Going close to the animal instead of using zoom. This scares or harms it.
- Only using close-ups. The viewer needs a wide shot to know where we are.
- Narration that repeats the picture ("You see a deer").
- Loud music that hides natural sound.